West Seattle, Washington
21 Saturday
On the night when the family should have been celebrating the anniversary of Hussein Khazaal‘s marriage to wife Inaam – exactly 40 years earlier – rather than celebrating his life after his too-early death, his daughter Nadia (left) said she’s sure he is the “happiest man in heaven right now.” Tributes to, and memories of, that man – gone suddenly at just 63, after spending more than half his life at the helm of a cherished restaurant, known most recently as Phoenecia at Alki – surrounded a photo on one of several easels at last night’s memorial.
A burst of evening sunshine broke through the clouds as hundreds of friends and family members – including Phoenecia customers – gathered on the Alki waterfront a few blocks west of the restaurant:
Among them, Jason Grotelueschen, who described Mr. Khazaal as “an amazing man with an amazing family” and sang the “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”/”What a Wonderful World” medley in his honor:
For both those who considered him “a second father” and for the family he and Mrs. Khazaal created, he was remembered as someone who believed “nourishment for your children is number 1 in life” – and that meant much more than food, though the analogy ran through other open-mike tributes like these:
-“I do know (his) secret ingredient – gratitude, love, joy and passion.”
-“The restaurant, and food, were a vehicle for him, to teach how to be, in life.”
And so, the guests who came to the beach to celebrate him, were invited to join in a meal:
Other restaurateurs joined to help feed those in attendance – the names we saw included Husky Deli, Puerto Vallarta, Luciano’s.
Though the tables were draped in black, the mood was anything but mournful. The laughter that rippled through the crowd as some of the stories were told seemed to honor one observation in particular: “He was celebrating life, his entire life.”
More than 80 tributes to Mr. Khazaal were posted in the comments following our first story last Sunday about his passing; read them here.
We’ll have a full report later with highlights of memories shared tonight, “open-mike” style, before guests shared “something special” to celebrate the life of Phoenecia at Alki restaurateur Hussein Khazaal, who died suddenly last Saturday. But if you couldn’t be there, we wanted to show you the crowd first – we estimate around 250 people. Some sat, some stood, some were out of our camera’s view, up on the sidewalk. Some memories were tearful, but many brought laughter. More later.
(Photo by WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli)
When we published that photo from WSB photojournalist Christopher Boffoli last November, as part of coverage of Beato’s closure, little did we know it would wind up in court – where he just won a victory on behalf of intellectual-property rights. We strongly believe in those rights and protections here at WSB — for example, when we are asked for permission to use a photo, if it’s not a photo that was taken by one of us co-publishers, we tell the requester that we do not have the rights to the photo, and we forward the request to the person who provided us with it, whether amateur or pro. Same goes for written work – if we link to someone else’s story, unless there are unusual circumstances (and involving permission), we don’t pull a chunk of the story; we provide the link because we believe you should go read it on the writer’s own site. And we have a notice at the bottom of our pages pointing out that photos cannot be used without permission. Sometimes, though, either we, or someone who has contributed photography, discovers a picture used without permission, as happened with the one you see above. Read on for the full story of what happened and how the small-claims court case turned out:Read More
The program for today’s celebration in memory of West Seattle business/community pioneer Helen Sutton described its location, the South Seattle Community College Arboretum, as “one of Helen’s favorite places.” Guests were welcomed with harp music by Pinky Dale, SSCC’s Georgetown Campus dean:
Hundreds gathered underneath a striped canopy, where the celebration officially began with a welcome by SSCC’s interim president Gary Oertli:
Ms. Sutton’s many ties to SSCC and the rest of Seattle’s community-college system were described in the program:
Helen served on the Seattle Community College District Board of Trustees from 1974 to 1985, and was involved with our colleges from the beginning. She was one of South’s earliest and strongest supporters. Helen was instrumental in the establishment of the South Seattle Community College Foundation, and she served as board member for many years, including several as president. She also helped create the Arboretum, where the Helen G. Sutton Rose Garden was established several years ago in honor of her efforts. In addition to her work on the Arboretum Committee, Helen was a member of the Scholarship Committeee.
Helen was fondly known as “Mrs. West Seattle” by many in the community. She owned La Grace Fashion Apparel for more than 40 years and was the first woman president of the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce. She was also named “Citizen of the Year.”
She also was a Board Member Emeritus for the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor) and had been involved with Fauntleroy Church; on behalf of the church, LeeAnne Beres was to share reflections at today’s memorial, as were several others including niece Lori Edgerly of Yakima, the town in which Ms. Sutton was living when she died in June at age 95.
A reminder that tomorrow night is the memorial celebrating the life of Hussein Khazaal, owner of Phoenecia at Alki restaurant, who died suddenly last Saturday at age 63. The memorial is set for 6:30 pm Friday, and e-mail from the Khazaal family, forwarded to WSB, includes a few more details. First, the location is “west of the Statue of Liberty.” Plus:
•We have rented a small stage and sound system for Friday’s celebration. There will be an open mic for anyone who would like to share warm thoughts, wishes, and stories. Just like “papa” would want, we will prepare “something special for you.”
•In addition to food from Phoenecia, many fine West Seattle eating establishments will be preparing food due to the overwhelming attendance we expect. We thank them so much for their support.
We know Hussein would want to share one last meal with you all, and we will make sure that happens this Friday.
We also know many of you would like to pay your last respects, and we wanted to give everyone the opportunity.
We cannot begin to explain how much your kind words have touched our hearts – frankly, they are keeping us going.
William Khazaal – on behalf of the family
Hussein Khazaal was buried in Covington on Tuesday. ADDED EARLY FRIDAY: More details of Mr. Khazaal’s life, and family reminiscences, are in a new obituary by food writer Nancy Leson just published at seattletimes.com.
West Seattle photographer Rasmus Rasmussen had an idea – and after a few weeks of planning, he’s set the time and place to make it reality: He’s offering free professional headshots to jobseekers, and he’s set up the photo session for 11 am Tuesday, August 25, at C and P Coffee. First-come, first-served, the first 100 people, age 18+. Read all about it on his website, here.
First – West Seattle Family YMCA sports director Matt Schlede sent that championship photo with news of who won a big game on Thursday night:
My Oh My beat the Bad News Y’rs 15-6 to win the West Seattle & Fauntleroy YMCA Adult Co-ed Softball Championship. My Oh My, who finished the season 7-1, was led by the strong bat and aggressive base-running of Jamie Schaefer, and solid outfield play of Drew Andrews.
Next – the Y’s Josh Sutton shares word that aquatics director Mac Snow just finished his cross-country bicycling odyssey – Seattle-to-Portland, but not the two-state STP, rather a coast-to-coast version. He chronicled it on this website, from which we pull the stats from his just-completed trip
21 days of biking:
2 days off in Chicago
3,395 total miles
Most miles 225, Austin MN to Madison WI
Least miles 105, multiple days
Speaking of Y aquatics, we are belatedly publishing these words of congratulation shared by Cindy McComish for another group of athletes who recently completed out-of-state travels:
7 swimmers and 1 assistant coach under the leadership of head coach Rod Rombauer have returned home after swimming in the National YMCA Long Course Swim Meet held in College Park, Maryland. The Dolphin National Team traveled to the meet on the campus of the University of Maryland by plane via Baltimore and stayed for 8 days and 8 nights. This year’s summer travel team represented 5 Seattle/Burien schools and the entire roster for the team (the starters, juniors, seniors, high school and national groups) is over 100 swimmers. Congratulations to this hard working national team and their coaches for their competitive spirit and for doing a great job of representing West Seattle.
Longtime WSB’er Kevin McClintic cc’d us on this letter earlier this morning, and we asked to publish it as an open letter. He had told us a few months ago about being hassled on a state ferry for taking photographs, and while we’d thought about writing a story then, we never got around to it. Now that he’s been hassled again, it seems worthy of further light. He is sending this to various government officials:
Thursday evening (8/6) I finally decided to take my first ride on our new light rail system. I parked my car at the Mount Baker Station and took two small pocket cameras and a monopod with me. I purchased a round trip ticket and boarded a train to Westlake Station.
I had a delightful time at Westlake with one exception. If you have not yet been, you should! It is beautiful, and there is SO much to see and photograph. I will have to return when I have more time. Public art everywhere! I was a little concerned about leaving my car on the street in the Mount Baker area after dark, so I cut my Westlake visit a bit short.
Upon arrival at Westlake Station, I put one of the cameras on the monopod (similar to a handicap cane) and proceeded to walk all over the station, taking pictures of buses and trains. After a few minutes of that, I took the escalator to the upper level and took more pictures on the mezzanine level. There were plenty of security officers around and some of them walked right past me. Not one even said hi to me.
Metro might just want to take a clue from the banking industry on this one. If someone “looks” suspicious, take a moment and say hi to them – perhaps take a moment and suggest a good place to get great pictures or a particular item of interest?
I even approached one security officer with my camera in hand, and asked him if there was a time limit on my round trip ticket. His answer was “good all day” and that was the end of that conversation.
After I had been shooting all over the mezzanine area, a security officer finally approached me and told me that “this is a sensitive area” and I need to “STOP taking pictures.” Hmm… where did I least hear that line? On a Washington State Ferry, and that issue has since been resolved. Their head of security personally invited me to return often, and take ALL the pictures I want.
I told the Metro security officer that as far as I know I have the right to take pictures ANYWHERE in a public place. He did not like that answer. I was polite, but I was not going to back down, and he did NOT like it.
Kevin’s letter continues after the jump:Read More
Were you in one of those photos? An entire decade has passed since the year that sounded so far in the future when Prince sang about it in the ’80s … but passed, it has, and now West Seattle High School Class of 1999 reunion organizers are trying to get word out to their classmates. Jessica Seeley shared the photos, along with the invite:
West Seattle High School Class of 1999 Reunion
Location: Alki Beach Bathhouse
When: Saturday, September 26, 5:00 PM
Cost: $52 per personJoin us in celebrating the West Seattle High School Class of 1999 10-year reunion at the Alki Bathhouse in West Seattle.
Tickets are $52 via PayPal. Prices include:
-Appetizers
-Non-Alcoholic Berverages
-Beer and Wine
-Desserts
-Entertainment
-Spending time with the Class of ’99Act quickly as ticket prices will go up if you buy them at the door!
We’re trying to get the word out to everyone any way we can, but we are still missing e-mails and mailing addresses. If you know of someone who … hasn’t heard about the reunion, please forward this to them! We want everyone to be included.
Thanks,
Jessica Seeley
You can use the Share This link below to e-mail this item, or to share it via Facebook or Twitter, among other services. And you can make your reservation by e-mailing the organizers directly: wshs1999@gmail.com
(Our other two Night Out 2009 photo roundups are here and here)
(Pigeon Point Night Out party photos by Chris Wells)
The firefighters who visited Pigeon Point’s big Night Out party last night really sparked some fun. They even got into the spirit of one popular feature that neighbors had set up the party, which Pete Spalding explains in this update:
We had a visit from a fire engine from station 36 that is right by the bridge. We also had visits from Interim Police Chief John Diaz, Doug Carey from the Mayor’s office, a contingent from the Dept of Neighborhoods, our CPT officer Kevin McDaniel and then later we were visited by Capt Joe Kessler and Lt. Steve Paulsen from the SW Precinct.
We had 100+ neighbors that gathered with us at the corner of 20th Ave SW and SW Dakota [map]. One of the highlights was we brought in a bale of hay and then hid small toys, quarters and nickels in the hay and then the kids got to do a scavenger hunt to find all of the hidden gems.
Darkness (and bedtime for the kids) was the only reason folks went back home. It was a great turnout and we saw several new faces to our Pigeon Point neighborhood who came out to meet their neighbors.
Three more Pigeon Point pix – including one with the full fray over the straw, and one with a delighted Engine 26 visitor:
We’ve also received photos today from Shell Marr, whose party in the 2400 block of SW Holden (map) offered a game too – beanbag toss:
Canine participants were crowdpleasers as well:
Thanks again to everyone who shared photos and/or gave us clearance to drop by. Night Out is traditionally held on the first Tuesday in August, so you can just mark your calendar right now for August 3, 2010!
After most (but not all! Arts in Nature, for one, is still to come) of the festivals are over, August is a time for subtler summer fun. Two “garden parties” are coming up to raise money for major local organizations:
SENIOR CENTER OF WEST SEATTLE: Carol Johnston from the Senior Center shares word of “A Sunset Patio Party” that lifelong West Seattleite Florabelle Key is hosting at her Morgan Junction apartment at 7 pm next Monday (August 10th). Carol says, “The beautiful gardens with its flower garden and candles and many patio tables and chairs will be filled while guests enjoy appetizers and assorted desserts while being serenaded by The Ukes, a ukulele group. Donation is $8 and guests may bring their own spirits. Paid reservations can be made at the Senior Center and info (is available) by calling 206-932-4044, ext. 3.”
34TH DISTRICT DEMOCRATS: Days before the primary-election votes are counted, West Seattle’s biggest political group will gather for its biggest fundraiser of the year, the Garden Party, 6 pm August 14 at West Seattle Nursery. Emcee this year is Gatewood’s own New York Vinnie. Lots more info here.
Thanks to Arbor Heights Elementary teacher Mark Ahlness for sharing photos from Sunday’s Camp Long memorial in honor of his fellow AH teacher Lynn Barnicle. As reported here last week, leukemia took Ms. Barnicle’s life a week earlier; she was just 50 years old. Friends, family and colleagues were invited to the park to share memories as well as music:
Mark shares:
Many spoke about her caring and loving life, filled with passion for exploring, learning, teaching, and creating. It was truly moving to see and speak with so many who were touched by her life, and every person there felt blessed to have had that experience. Her brother spoke about one of her favorite poems, which she would be very happy to know that people were reading, “The Peace of Wild Things” by Wendell Berry.
You can see Mark’s Flickr set with other photos here; some have been added to this website where she and others had written during her leukemia battle. It’s expected that a memorial will be held at the school in the fall as well, so that students can pay tribute to the beloved fifth-grade teacher.
The time and place of this Sunday’s memorial are now set for Arden Balyeat, the 48-year-old West Seattle mom who died earlier this week 
after saving her 7-year-old son when they got into trouble in the Skykomish River (here’s our Tuesday night story). It’s at West Seattle Christian Church, 4 pm Saturday, with an “open house wake” at her home afterward, 4008 46th SW. Friend Cori Myka says those who want to bring food/drink to share at the wake are invited to, but perishable leftovers will need to be taken home afterward. They will have a guestbook and video camera for sharing memories. There’s now an online obituary with a comment area and maps to the memorial/wake locations; find it here. And Cori says there’s a benevolent fund in Arden’s name at BECU, with donations to be used for her son; checks designating the fund can be taken to any branch or mailed to BECU, she says (here’s the location-finder). Cori added in an open letter, “Thank you for all the thoughts, condolences and memories that have been given thus far.”
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
It’s a book about your back yard. And your front yard. And the greenbelt down the street.
And though Gatewood author Lyanda Lynn Haupt‘s new book — from which she will read at Elliott Bay Books tomorrow night — is titled “Crow Planet,” it’s not just about crows.
Coyotes are in there too, she says, as are many of the other wild things who are mixing it up with us mere humans, in West Seattle and elsewhere.
Chatting with Lyanda in the garden behind the 1920s-vintage home she shares with her husband and daughter, you might spot some of the wildness – a hummingbird hovering over a hedge, pondering whether to investigate the small bouquet of salvia that the author placed in a glass as a sort of feeder. (She wrote about the makeshift feeder last weekend on her website “The Tangled Nest: Cultivating an Urban-Earthen Household.”) Or you might hear her stories, like the one about the raccoon that woke her up during a backyard family campout:
You may have heard about this tragedy in regional media – a 48-year-old woman and her 7-year-old son were pulled from the Skykomish River yesterday; he survived, but she died at a Snohomish County hospital. Thanks to information that started with a note from a friend, we have learned the woman was from West Seattle: Arden Balyeat. As friend Cori Myka explained on Ms. Balyeat’s Facebook wall, she and her son “were crossing a river when he got pulled in an eddy. She rescued him, but was not able to save herself.” Friends are planning a wake this Saturday afternoon, likely at her home, though Cori told us the venue may change, and suggested watching this Facebook page (from which the photo at left was taken) for details; they also are working to set up a fund for Ms. Balyeat’s son. ADDED WEDNESDAY MORNING: This Everett article has a few more details on what authorities believe happened.
A month has passed since the news that former Junction entrepreneur and community volunteer leader Helen Sutton – longtime La Grace Dress Shop owner and the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce‘s first woman president – had died, at age 95. (Here’s our story from June 24.) Friends had told us there would be news later of a possible memorial, and Sandy Adams has forwarded news of this one: South Seattle Community College will honor Ms. Sutton with a special event in the SSCC Arboretum at 2 pm August 13. Its rose garden is named for her – she helped create the Arboretum itself, as well as helping establish the SSCC Foundation, and serving as a board member for many years, including time as board president. and the school is putting out the call for people to help tidy the entry and the Helen G. Sutton Rose Garden itself before the event. The cleanup will be August 7 or 8, and lunch will be provided to volunteers. Call Adrian at 206.282.8040 if you’d like to volunteer for the cleanup.
(Maddie Meyers in a recent competition; photo courtesy of her family)
One more Seafair Torchlight note from Saturday night – we have congratulated local parade participants but just learned about a Torchlight Run participant’s success: 14-year-old West Seattle-residing running star Madeleine “Maddie” Meyers — going into her sophomore year at The Northwest School — was the 8th female to finish the run in Saturday night’s hot, humid and fleetingly rainy conditions. Her time: 32:08. (Another West Seattle link: The first woman to finish, again this year, was Vanessa Hunter, 27:54, who also was the first woman to cross the line in the first-ever West Seattle 5K (WSB coverage here) two months ago.)
That’s the Seattle Schools All-City Band – students from all over the city, including more than a few from West Seattle (which is also home base to ACB director Marcus Pimpleton, leader of the Denny Middle School music program) – performing Friday night at Southwest Athletic Complex during the first-ever Band Jam. You could say they were warming up for tonight’s Seafair Torchlight Parade downtown, and two of the other groups joining them last night are on the parade lineup too (which we just found here) – the Rainbow City Band and the Cranbrook (BC) Girls’ Bugle Band. (For more on tonight’s parade, beyond the lineup, go here; West Seattle will have plenty of representation in addition to ACB members – there’s also the mayor, the West Seattle Hi-Yu float/royalty, West Seattle members in parade staples like the Seafair Pirates, Seafair Commodores and Seafair Clowns, and 2 princesses in the running for Miss Seafair right before the parade … if you can’t be there in person, KIRO shows it live on channel 7 and online at kirotv.com … if you are going, remember there’s an extra King County Water Taxi run at 11:30.)
3:45 AM UPDATE: Just got word via phone and e-mail that Myrna Hauck has been found safe and unharmed. Her family’s still “sorting out” what happened but wanted to share the news that she’s OK.
(Original report follows)
That’s Myrna Hauck, mother of 8 daughters, grandma to many grandchildren. Myrna is missing, so her daughter, West Seattleite Michelle Dightman, is trying to get the word out any way she can. She says her mom is 5’3” and about 150 pounds and was last seen between 3 and 3:30 Friday afternoon, dropping off a relative at the La Quinta Inn and Suites in Lakewood (11751 Pacific Hwy SW; map) Michelle says Myrna “was expected in West Seattle at 5 pm and was driving a 1991 Aqua Blue Honda Accord, license number 429 SAX.” Michelle says, “We’re just so scared – this is so highly unusual.” This has been reported to police, so if you think you’ve seen her, call 911; the primary agency handling this is the police department in Lakewood, but Michelle says Seattle Police have been contacted too.
It’s the little surprises that make life fun – like, when neighborhood heroes stop by your bake sale. Cori from Gatewood just e-mailed to share that photo (editor@wsb.blackfin.biz) and explained, “Thanks to the firefighters of Station 37, who took time out to stop at a bake sale put on yesterday by some neighborhood kids. They were so great and it gave the kids such a thrill!” Inbetween fighting fires and crimes, local firefighters and police officers do spend a lot of time involved in community activities large and small – which reminds us that you probably need another reminder to sign up for your Night Out close-the-street block party August 4 – local public-safety personnel are known to make the rounds that night too. Sign up here before the July 31st deadline.
Look for the Illusions Hair Design (WSB sponsor) VW Bug and the brightly lettered sign outside the West Seattle Eagles parking lot near the Junction post office – the car wash to raise money for Pencil Me In For Kids is happening till 2 pm:
PMIFK gets school supplies for kids whose families have trouble affording them – and even though it’s the heat of mid-July, back-to-school time in September is practically right around the corner. By 12:30 pm, they’d already washed 15 cars! (1:27 pm note – they’re also updating via Twitter, with pix – 21 cars as of about 1:10 pm!) Also this afternoon: Furry Faces Foundation‘s end-of-summer plant sale to raise money for animal rescue – 3809 46th SW (map) – see this WSB Forums item for full details – it’s continuing till 5 pm, blowout prices.
As previewed here last night, Seattle Congressmember Jim McDermott‘s bill proposing federal recognition 
for the Duwamish Tribe had a hearing today in the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee. We watched much of the half-day hearing via live webcast and spoke later in the day with McDermott spokesperson Mike DeCesare. Our question for him, after the committee listened to testimony from supporters (including Duwamish Tribe chair Cecile Hansen, whose written testimony can be read here) and opponents — while also considering similar bids from other tribes including the Southwest Washington-based Chinook — was: Now what? DeCesare confirms that there’s no guarantee the committee will vote on the bill, but he emphasized – repeatedly 
– during our short phone conversation that it was a “huge” step simply for a hearing to be held; McDermott himself had said during the hearing that it was “a long time coming.” (The Duwamish were briefly recognized in the waning days of the Clinton Administration; then, as was recapped during today’s hearing, that was canceled early in the Bush Administration, with a procedural error cited – missing signatures on paperwork. The Duwamish are fighting that decision in court.) We haven’t yet found anyplace with a detailed report on today’s hearing, and the video is not yet archived on the committee website; here’s a list of the witnesses who were originally scheduled — we know from the portion we saw that there were others, such as one of McDermott’s fellow Washington Congressmembers, Jay Inslee, who provided one of two West Seattle references heard in the early going, when noting that his father had taught at Chief Sealth High School, named after the Duwamish’s legendary chief, chair Cecile Hansen’s great-great-grand-uncle and our city’s namesake. The other reference came from McDermott, who quoted a letter from Holy Family School students saying they were shocked to learn the Duwamish had to fight for recognition. A good portion of the hearing was spent discussing the federal requirements and procedures involved in gaining recognition, and a contention that the process was admittedly “broken” and would soon itself be the subject of legislation. Meantime, if you want to watch what happens to the Duwamish recognition bill, it is HR 2678.
In Seaview tonight, a special gathering brought together family and friends of JB Webster – the West Seattle real-estate agent, Seafair Commodore and community advocate whose death after a short illness shocked the community back in April. The gathering was “A Toast to JB,” a private fundraiser for the new plaque in his honor at Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza. The photo above shows (from left) Mr. Webster’s widow Christi Webster with tonight’s event hosts, Rob and Patricia Shiras. With Mr. Webster’s fellow Seafair Commodores — who turned out in force for his memorial at Alki UCC — due in The Junction this Saturday for the West Seattle Grand Parade, we asked if they are doing something special in his memory; Christi Webster says they’re wearing a special black/white pin with the initials JB, and that Seafair has a new membership award in his memory, since he was a prolific recruiter of new members. ADDED: Thanks to Edna Bishop for forwarding this photo taken by Jason Mercio, who donated his services for the event:
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